0:07Skip to 0 minutes and 7 secondsFor the first time in history, people with an intellectual disability are living well into old age. This success story is a result of improved health care, better living conditions, access to education, and community supports. Despite this success, the life expectancy of a person with an intellectual disability is nearly 20 years less than their non-disabled peers. This free online course from the Trinity Centre for Ageing and Intellectual Disability at Trinity College Dublin will help you to better understand the health assessment needs of people with an intellectual disability. For decades, health and health care inequalities among people with an intellectual disability have been an issue.

0:56Skip to 0 minutes and 56 secondsHealth care information has often been inappropriate or unavailable, and service provision has been fragmented, especially for those with multiple and complex needs. Inaccessible facilities and equipment, and communication challenges, both in expression and interpretation, continue to compromise the health care experience of people with intellectual disability. These challenges can increase the person's exclusion from preventative screenings, and delay regular health assessments, which impacts on quality of life and further marginalising people with an intellectual disability. This course offers doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, dentists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and all allied health care professional workers the opportunity to understand the health assessment needs of older adults with intellectual disability.

1:57Skip to 1 minute and 57 secondsYou will explore the similarities and differences in health between individuals with an intellectual disability and their non-disabled peers, and explore evidence that underpins why engaging in health assessment is a foundational block to building better health. You will gain insights into the barriers to health care that people with an intellectual disability face, and the communication challenges that threaten sustained engagement in health care. Most importantly, we will share techniques that you can adapt to your clinical practise, enriching your skills and improving your engagement with all patients. Join us on this three-week free online course, and learn how to enable and empower individuals with an intellectual disability to be partners in health.

What topics will you&nbspcover?

In this course, you will:

Explore the inequalities that individuals with an intellectual disability experience that often obstruct their engagement in health assessment;

Identify the changing landscape of healthcare for older people with an intellectual disability;

Learn how to communicate better with people with an intellectual disability in health assessments;

Make reasonable adjustments to appointment scheduling, duration, and in explaining assessments;

Learn best practices in accessible materials for health assessments.

The course is structured into three weeks:

Week 1: Health and wellbeing challenges for people with an intellectual disability

Week 2: Best practices in communicating with people with an intellectual disability in health assessment

Week 3: Performing a health assessment for people with an intellectual disability

Who is this accredited by?

Earn 6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland on completion of this course and purchase of certificate.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland: This course is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, the independent, statutory organisation which regulates the nursing and midwifery professions in Ireland.

When would you like to&nbspstart?

21 January 2019

Who is the course&nbspfor?

This course is for healthcare professionals, healthcare workers, and care supporters working with people with an intellectual disability. You do not need any prior experience as the course is designed to be usable by all levels of healthcare professionals.